December 13, 2015

“Susquehanna taught me how to learn,” says Jennifer Barth ’03.

“The classes at Susquehanna gave me the background to understand computer science as a whole, not just one programming language,” she adds.

This fundamental background has helped her succeed in the ever-changing and growing field of computer science.

After graduating, the computer science major and math minor earned a graduate degree in human factors in information design. She now works as a systems/specialty engineer at Raytheon, which specializes in defense, civil and cybersecurity markets throughout the world.

She started there more than 12 years ago as a software engineer and has done a variety of work over the years, including working at customer sites as the site technical lead, giving presentations at symposiums and leading teams of developers.

Her advice for current and future students?

“You never stop learning in computer science. Chances are the programming languages and techniques that you learn in school aren’t the ones you’ll need for your job. Make sure you understand how things work and why they work, not just what you need for the test/homework/project,” she says.